Ok, here is the story. I am working to complete an Ugly Stik, which I bought basically as an ARF. The airframe was already assembled and finished. All I had to do was install an engine, radio, and servos. I have done all that. The engine runs! I have not yet thought about flying this plane. My question is this: What do I do with the antenna? It is quite long, and I can't simply leave it hanging out. The instructions say not to wrap or double it. What do I do with all that length?

I'd like to get it ready so that I can have someone help me trim it out, and then hopefully get it in the air before the end of the year.

Thanks for any assistance you can provide. I'm a newbie, but really interested in getting this thing in the air, and developing some degree of proficiency at this hobby.

Generally, you poke a small hole thru the fuselage and route the antenna through the hole to the outside. Then use a rubber to hold the antenna to the top of the rudder. Any length of antenna beyond the rudder can just fly free behind the plane.

Leave the antenna trailing out, do NOT attempt to shorten it by any means, especially cutting. This will severely lessen the range of the radio waves, and the range of control that you have over the airplane. There are many methods or routing the antenna properly, such as through a tube down the fuselage and out near the tail, or feeding it out the upper fuselage, and stringing it to the fin. Basically, just leave it hanging out. [8D]

OK. I'd be concerned about the portion that simply hangs free past the plane. Seems like it would get abraded and eventually break off as the plane taxis/lands.

I dont like my antenna hooked to the vert stab or hanging out the back I'm afraid of damage to the airframe or antenna. I've run it out of bottom of the fuse to a pin in the tail the back forward on the oppsite side of the fuse where i use a rubber band on another pin for tension. But my favorite way is to glue coffee stirers inside the fuse and route the antenna along the inside of the stirers. the stirers only need to be an inch long or so and you can run them up and back until the length of the antenna is supported.
HAVE FUN GOOD LUCK remember all rc aircaft have but 2 ways to end, retired, or in the trash

There are two basic concerns here:

1. DO NOT cut the antenna. It is at the optimal length for the frequency you are using (72MHz for most of us). Cutting the antenna, even an inch, can severely reduce the antenna effeciency and receiver range.

2. DO NOT double the antenna back on itself. That is like cutting it. Run the antenna the length of the fuselage, either inside (through straws to keep it straight, as mentioned above is a good method then at the rear, drill a hole and run the antenna through and let it dangle out the rear) or on the outside by passing it through the fuselage behind the wing then on up to the rudder, hold it in place with a rubber band and allow the remainder to dangle beyond the rudder.

The antenna does not have any weight that will cause it to damage itself when hanging out the back. I've seen some real old aircraft flying with the original receiver and antenna hanging out the back and none of them are frayed.

If you are that concerned about fraying by dragging on the ground, go to Radio Shack, buy some heat shrink tubing and cover the antenna with heat shrink (use your heat gun that you use for the covering material and shrink the tubing on the antenna). That will provide an extra "skin" on the antenna and protect it from the ground.

DS.

I often have to switch equipment from one plane to another, so what I do is to run my antenna through the inner tube of a flex-type pushrod. Then I can just slide it out of one fuse and into another.

And no, I have never had any interference from metal pushrods